World Water Day was first celebrated on 22nd March 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly on Environment and Development where an international observance for water was recommended and since then it has been held annually.
It might sound bizzare that, though the Earth is covered with 71% of water yet, it is considered as a scarce resource. This is due to the fact that the out of that 71% of water, 97% of water is found in Oceans i.e. Salty Water (not potable for daily use) while the remaining 3% is available as fresh water, out of which 2.5 % is not accessible since they are in the form of glaciers, water vapours or are polluted. This leaves only 0.5% of fresh water available for our use, globally. Correspondingly, billions of people still don’t have access to safe and potable water for their homes, businesses, schools, companies, & such which further escalates diseases and unsanitary conditions. Over the years, this problem has turned into a crisis. Due to this global water crisis, a serious disturbance in water cycle can be observed which directly affects global issues such as Global warming, climate change, unpredictable seasonal changes, frequent earthquakes, and such. Hence, the World Water Day is about hastening changes to resolve the Water and Sanitation crisis globally.
To protect the planet and ensure world wide peace & prosperity, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also known as Global Goals were designed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2015. It was drafted with 17 major SDGs with a belief that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Presently, the world is way behind in achieveing the SDG 6 i.e. CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION by 2030. This year’s theme of World Water Day is “Accelerating Change”, which prompts that it’s high time to accelerate the changes in order to achieve the agenda. The Water Action Agenda is a collection of voluntary commitments from governments, companies, organizations, institutions, coalitions and members of the public, designed to deliver rapid progress on internationally-agreed water and sanitation targets, most notably Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6): water and sanitation for all by 2030. Water Action Agenda will be launched at the UN 2023 Water conference in which such commitments will be added and this event is first of its kind in nearly 50 years. As per the latest data, governments have to work on average four times faster to meet SDG 6 by 2030. But it is not just the responsibility of government alone, it has to be accomplished with the collective determinations of all. Hence as per UNDP, this is a once-in-a-generation moment for the world to unite around water.
All the life on our planet depends on Water and since water affects all the creation, it becomes extremely crucial for us respond seriously to the crisis. That means you, your family, friends & community, who can make a difference by changing their ways to use, consume, & manage water in their respective lives.So, Play your part. Do what you can.